Inside Asian Gaming

November 2016 inside asian gaming 45 expansion project, which will see the addition of another 40 poker tables to the 150 already in use. A new hotel with 218 four and five- star rooms is also set to open its doors, including a state of the art wellness center. “The existing set up already reminds me of the Amazon Room at the Rio and it’s only going to get bigger,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “When the new hotel and the renovations are complete, this is going to be a very comfortable environment for a large festival such as ours. With King’s backing large guarantees and media coverage, we believe we have found a long term home for WSOPE to replicate the scale we enjoy in Las Vegas.” Las Vegas continues upwards surge INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS After 2015 saw total visitor numbers to Las Vegas reach an all- time high, visitation is on track to break the record again this year with the 3.7 million arrivals in September representing the fourth best month of 2016 so far. It included a 16.2% rise in convention attendance year-on-year to 614,924. For the first nine months of the year, convention attendance is a touch over 5 million and in sight of the record 6.3 million people that attended trade shows, conferences and conventions in 2006. The average daily room rate for the first nine months is sitting at US$125.69 a night, well ahead of the 2015 average of US$119.94. September’s average daily room rate was US$137.11, an 8.9% year- on-year increase. UK to review Fixed Odds Betting Terminals The UK government has launched a probe into Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and the impact they have on players. Part of an effort to curb gambling-related harm by gaining a better understanding of trends, the probe will focus primarily on the maximum stakes the machines accept and the maximum payouts they grant. Included will be an examination of the social responsibility measures implemented by the UK’s gaming industry, the allocation of machines to licensed venues and gambling advertising as a whole. It has been reported that the government will consider a complete ban on gambling advertising on TV during daytime hours, depending upon the findings of their studies. Fixed Odds Betting Terminals were introduced across UK betting shops in the early 2000s and have become hugely popular, allowing the public to bet on the outcome of various sporting events and casino games. Players can place a maximum bet of £100 every 20 seconds. Last year they generated a record £1.7 billion, prompting officials to call for a reduction in stakes from £100 to as little as £2. The review was launched by Tracey Crouch, the UK’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage, who has stated that gambling regulations need to make sure that consumers are protected, that they gamble in a responsible manner and that the gambling industry is not prevented from contributing to the overall economy. It will continue through to 4 December after which various recommendations will likely be made. The Las Vegas recovery has continued through September, with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reporting visitor volume on track to break all records and statewide gaming win up 3.5% year-on-year to US$949 million. For July through September, gaming win on the Strip climbed a considerable 7.5% to US$543 million while downtown Las Vegas was up 3.6% to US$49.2 million. The trend was reflected across most of the state, with the exception being the Boulder Strip, down 3.8%, and the Carson Valley area, down 0.7%. In Clark County, win was up 3.6% to US$809 million with table games up 5.8% to US$335 million.